The Relationraft
by Father Hulk
Summary: When things start to go wrong at Mercury Lighthouse, Isaac and Ivan go investigate. But does Ivan have more than one reason for tagging along? Fluff slash. Chaps 3 and 4 up!
1. Master Isaac Hears of Ill Tidings

The RelationRaft 

A/N: _Hi everyone, and welcome to my very first slash story! I hope you enjoy. Good reviews are appreciated muchly. Flamers go down to join the dead ones and light little candles of their own! Ke ke ke ke…On with the story!_

Ivan watched him walk by. He knew he couldn't say anything; it wasn't right. It wasn't supposed to be this way. It wasn't… natural. But then why did this feel as natural to him as breathing? Every day he tried to come up with some logical explanation, some rationale that would make it okay, but each time he failed.

It was a year and six months since the power of Alchemy had been restored to the land of Weyard. With help from Vault and Kalay, the men and women of central Angara had founded the village of New Vale, built around what was left of Mt. Aleph. Since no lives had been lost when Mt. Aleph sunk into the earth, there was no real grieving that had to be done, so it was simple to get back into a normal lifestyle once the town had been built.

The eight friends that had saved the world all dwelled in this village together, relaxing and sharing stories of their travels, and just taking it easy in general. Felix and Sheba had become a couple, and Isaac seemed to draw feelings from both Mia and Jenna (the latter much to the dismay of Garet), but Isaac never really made it clear who he wanted to date. So the two girls resorted to bear-hugging him and attempting to seduce him playfully whenever they got the chance.

Ivan walked glumly to the edge of the pond, sat down and pulled off his shoes. Sighing, he dipped his feet in the water and stared at his reflection.. He picked up a nearby stone and attempted to skip it across the water, but it sank to the bottom with only the smallest of splashes. Ivan watched it disappear into the depths and sighed again.

"Excuse me, sir?" said a voice, snapping Ivan out of his thoughts. On the surface of the pond he saw the reflection of a tall, blue-haired youth clad in white robes. "I'm looking for a warrior named Isaac."

The very mention of that boy's name caused Ivan's heart rate to quicken. He attempted to regain his composure and pointed to where Isaac had just walked away. "He just left," Ivan said. "He's down that hill there. Why, what's wrong?"

"I am only to deliver that information to Sir Isaac!" said the youth quite officially, and he turned on his heel and walked towards where Ivan had pointed. Ivan got to his feet and trailed behind him.

Shortly, they found Isaac outside the general store, talking with Garet, a tall, brash young man with tall, spiky red hair and wearing a black-outlined vest over a gold tunic and pants.

"Master Isaac, sir?" stated the blue-haired boy.

"Uh, that'd be me," said the boy next to Garet, who wasn't as tall as his friend and had blonde hair that was combed into spikes, wearing a blue outfit and a small yellow cape.

"Master Isaac, sir, my name is Randolph, and I bring to you a message from the village of Imil."

"What's going on?" Isaac inquired.

"Sir Isaac, we've been having a problem with the Mercury Lighthouse. The strength of the beacon has become erratic," Randolph explained. "It gains and loses power seemingly for no reason. We're worried that if things continue this way, it may throw off the balance of the elements."

"So what do you want me to do?" Isaac asked, cocking his head to the side.

"Well, sir, we've heard that you climbed all four of the elemental lighthouses, thus we figure you must know _something_ about how they work. Basically we just want you to take a look and see if you can figure out what's wrong."

"That sounds pretty bad, man," Garet said to Isaac. "We should get everyone together and go take a look right away."

"Uh, I'd have to advise against that," said Randolph in his usual official voice. "We haven't told the citizens about the lighthouse yet, we don't want them to get into a huge panic. If a whole group of Adepts from the outside suddenly showed up it'd cause quite a stir."

"So I'd be going alone?" Isaac asked.

Randolph shrugged. "Well, you can bring one of your mates along if you'd like, but that's all. Don't want to draw too much attention now, do we?"

Isaac shrugged. "That sounds okay, I guess."

"So you're coming for sure then, Sir Isaac? I need to bring word back to the elders as soon as can be."

"Yeah, I'll be there," Isaac said.

"Excellent news, then," said Randolph. "I'll see you then." And turning quite officially on his heel again, Randolph marched towards the town gates, down the hill and out of sight.

"So!" Garet said, standing up to his full height and smiling proudly. "Who do you plan to take with you, Isaac?"

Ivan lowered his head, for it was almost certain that Isaac wouldn't choose him.

"I'm not sure," Isaac said. "Let's get everyone together and talk about this."

As Isaac walked towards the interior of the town and motioned for Ivan to follow, Garet grabbed Isaac by the shoulder gently and said, "You…ARE taking me, right?"

"I said I don't know," Isaac said firmly. "Now, come on."

Ivan watched Isaac and Garet walk towards the town square, sighed deeply, and followed behind them.


	2. Making the Choice

**Chapter 2**

_Making The Choice_

"So what's this all about, Isaac?" asked Felix, a tall man with brown hair that hung behind his head in a ponytail and wearing a short blue cape.

The group of eight friends sat around a circular table in the inn of New Vale. Piers and Garet were nursing mugs of ale, and Jenna and Sheba were picking at a plate of sliced roasted potatoes. The others were either resting their heads on their hands, or leaning back in their chairs restlessly.

"Well, there's a small problem in Imil," Isaac responded as he looked around at each of them.

"In Imil?" Mia said, looking up immediately. "What's the matter? What happened?"

"You don't think it's a new illness, do you?" Ivan queried.

"No, it's impossible," Mia answered. "The lighthouse fountain cures everything…"

"But maybe it's some kind of super-disease?" Sheba suggested. "Something the lighthouse waters can't handle?"

"Well, while we're on the subject of Mercury Lighthouse," Isaac interjected, "That's actually the source of the problem."

Each member of the group looked at each other warily.

"I got a message from Imil today that revealed that the power of the Mercury beacon is losing power, seemingly for no reason."

Mia put her hands to her mouth in shocked horror.

"How can that even happen?" Jenna asked, mystified. "I thought the power of those beacons was strong enough to remain for all time…"

"Nobody knows how or why it's happening," Isaac said. "But they want me to go investigate right away, before things get really serious."

"Just you?" Piers said.

Isaac nodded.

"I think that's foolish," Piers replied. "We should all go. We don't know what the problem may be, and there's safety and security in numbers."

"I couldn't agree more," Isaac agreed. "However, the folks in Imil don't want an entire entourage of Adepts showing up; they feel it will cause too much commotion."

"They haven't told them about the lighthouse?" Mia said in disbelief. When Isaac shook his head, she said crossly, "If I were there, I'd fill them in. It's better to be informed than ignorant, I say."

"And then do you know what would happen?" Garet said. "You'd cause people to pack up and leave town, maybe never to return. Would that be better?" Mia simply turned up her nose.

"So, as it stands, I can only bring one of you," Isaac said glumly.

"Who did you pick?" Sheba asked.

Isaac looked down. "I… haven't decided yet."

Almost everybody at the table began to speak at once, all trying to inform Isaac why _they_ were the absolute best choice. Ivan, however, bit his lip and looked down. Isaac was sure to choose Garet or Felix, or one of the big, strong friends. Isaac would never pick him… but think about if he did! Ivan knew that this trip would have been the one chance he'd have to talk to Isaac alone and privately…

"EVERYONE BE QUIET!" Isaac shouted, smacking his hand down on the table, and everyone fell silent. He looked over Ivan. "Ivan, you've been very quiet," Isaac said softly. "Is something troubling you?"

Ivan looked up at Isaac, the only boy he ever thought about; he gazed into his face, which now was lined with general concern for his thoughts, and something clicked in his head.

"Yes, I am very troubled!" Ivan exclaimed suddenly. "This is serious stuff we're talking about here!"

"It is," Felix agreed.

"This could throw off the entire balance of Alchemy!" Ivan continued. "Do you know what that could mean? We thought that simply rereleasing the power could destroy Weyard, but to have the power active, but unbalanced? It could be cataclysmic!"

"You're absolutely right!" Garet said emphatically.

"I mean, look around," Ivan said, gesturing in a broad sweep around him, "This all exists due to the pristine balance of the elements! If that balance is disrupted…"

"Ivan," Isaac interrupted, smiling. "Would you like to come with me?"

Ivan stopped mid-speech and stared at Isaac. "Are you serious?" he said quietly. This, of course, had been the result he had been after, but he did his best to conceal his motives.

"Yeah, I am," Isaac said, standing up and walking over to Ivan. He put his hand on the young man's shoulder. "This seems to be a huge concern to you." He looked down and smiled at Ivan.

"I…" Ivan faltered, trembling at Isaac's touch, "I… would love to go… But, I'm worried that I will only hinder you…"

"What?" said Isaac in disbelief. He squatted down so he was eye level with Ivan. "Look into my eyes, Ivan." Ivan was more than willing to obey. "Who's the only one here who can cast Spark Plasma? And Tempest? If you wanted to, you could blow any one of us here clear to Vault!"

"Not Garet, if he keeps eating the way he does," Sheba joked. "And hey! I could use Spark Plasma too, if Jenna didn't trade me all her Fire Djinn so she could have Thunder Mine…"

"Hey, that power won us the battle against Moapa, if you have forgotten," Jenna retorted. "What were you doing the whole time?"

"I was healing your pathetic butt," Sheba jeered. "If I recall, you were the one who said, 'Give all the nuts to Sheba, she's the quickest!'"

"Excuse me," Isaac said a bit loudly to quiet the girls, and then he turned back to Ivan. "Ivan, I would be honored if you would accompany me on this mission." He put his hand forward. "What say you?"

Ivan's lip trembled. Was this happening? Was it real? It couldn't be… Surely any moment he would wake from this blissful dream, and seek out Isaac only to find him sharing relations with Jenna or Mia! But here was Isaac, Ivan's angel, looking into his eyes and smiling at him, asking him for his company.

Finally, Ivan whispered, "Yes, Isaac… I will go with you." He reached out and took Isaac's hand.

"Well, that settles that, then!" Isaac declared, grinning and ruffling Ivan's hair. He stood up and said to everyone, "We're going to be leaving tomorrow morning, and I don't know how long our stay in Imil will be. So Garet, I want you to look after mom and dad while I'm gone, okay?"

"No problem," Garet said, forcing a smile.

"Well, we should get some rest," Isaac said. As Ivan stood up, Isaac smiled and said, "See you bright and early tomorrow, okay?"

"I'll be there!" Ivan said, his eyes shining. Maybe, just maybe, this was his chance.


	3. A Storm in the North

**Chapter 3**

_A Storm in the North_

And so it was that the night came and went, and the following morning found the eight friends bound by friendship and love standing at the gates of New Vale.

"Isaac," Garet said grimly, stepping forward and putting his hand on his friend's shoulder, "Please be careful, okay?"

"I will, Garet," Isaac said, giving his friend a reassuring smile.

"Here," Garet said, "Take this." He passed Isaac a glowing red rock. "This is the Flame Stone. It can create small fires. Use it to keep warm up there in the north."

"Thanks," Isaac said, patting Garet on the shoulder and looking up into his eyes. "I'll be fine."

Felix stepped forward and approached Ivan. "Ivan, you've got some inner strength in you yet. Take this." He passed Ivan something warm wrapped in cloth. "It's my special recipe of power bread. Use it when all other strengths fail you." He grinned and ruffled Ivan's hair.

"Not that you'd know about failing strength," Sheba said, smiling mischievously and rubbing Felix's back.

"I'm sure everything will go smoothly," Ivan said. "Isaac will be there…" he looked to his left at his crush with shining eyes, but his face fell to see the forms of Jenna and Mia clinging to him.

"Isaac, don't go!" Jenna wailed, pawing at Isaac's hair.

"Yes, don't leave us!" Mia cried, planting kisses on Isaac's cheeks. "I'll die without you!"

Isaac turned to Ivan and mouthed 'Help me!' Ivan giggled.

"All right, ladies," Piers said, stepping forward and prying Jenna and Mia off Isaac, "If you keep handling him then he'll never leave."

"Well," Isaac said with an air of finality, "looks like it's time to go." He shouldered his backpack, with Ivan following suit. "We'll see you guys in a couple of weeks."

"Farewell!" the rest of the group called as Isaac and Ivan tromped down the hill and past the city gates.

The grass was lush and green, and many colorful songbirds were calling through the air, and for many blissful minutes Ivan walked alongside Isaac in silence. He honestly had no idea how he was going to break his news to Isaac; he hadn't thought this far ahead. But he knew that if he was ever going to do it, it had to be soon.

Finally, to break the silence, he asked, "So what do you think could be going wrong with the lighthouse?"

"I don't know, really," Isaac replied, looking over at Ivan for a moment before returning his focus to the road. "I never thought a lighthouse beacon could lose strength."

"Do you think it could be, like, bad guys or something?" Ivan asked as the older boy pulled back a large tree branch so he could pass.

"I doubt it," Isaac answered, catching back up to Ivan. "It's probably an environmental problem of some kind. You know, the flow of Mercury and all that."

"Is that anything we can fix?" Ivan inquired.

"I'm not sure," Isaac said grimly.

"I'll bet you could fix it," Ivan said brightly. "You could probably fix anything you wanted to."

Isaac smiled. "You're cute, you know that?" he said, ruffling the younger boy's hair once again.

"Do you really think so?" Ivan asked, not daring to pass up a possible lead-in.

"Of course!" Isaac declared, slapping him on the back. "Who wouldn't?"

_"He's just being nice,"_ Ivan realized with despair. "Yeah…" he verbalized glumly, and looked at the ground as they continued walking.

The road was growing a bit more rocky now as they passed the outskirts of Vault; the lush shrubbery had given way to tall and mighty oak trees that surrounded the area not so much as to create a forest, but to give some sense that you weren't 'out in the open.' For much of the next few miles the conversation dwelt on small things, until Ivan once again decided to try a ploy to gauge Isaac's feelings.

"So how about those girls, huh?" he said, trying to sound as carefree about it as he could. "Looks like you've got the pick of the litter."

"Yeah, how about them," Isaac replied in almost a murmur, and seemingly to himself, as he stopped near a rather large rock for a breather and a sip of water.

"You don't like them?" Ivan asked, cocking his head to one side.

"Oh, I don't know," Isaac sighed, raising one foot onto the rock and leaning on his knee as he gazed to the north mountains. "I'm sure any guy would be thrilled to have two gorgeous girls constantly competing for his affection, but I…" he looked down at Ivan for a moment, then back up, "They're just not what I'm looking for."

Ivan climbed up on the rock and took the water canteen from Isaac. "What are you looking for, Sir Isaac?" he asked with a tone he was hoping sounded like elegance.

Isaac was silent for several moments, before saying, "I don't know," stepping down from the rock and shouldering his pack once again. "Come on, kiddo, we should try to get within a few miles of the foothills by sunset."

"Yes sir!" Ivan said, leaping down from his seat on the rock.

They didn't get far, however: before the sun was truly in the west, dark clouds started to roll in from the west, and the wind picked up considerably.

"This doesn't look good," Ivan observed, looking up at the sky.

"I know," Isaac said, "But come on, we can probably still make it a little further." There was a lightning bolt and an immediate thunderclap. "Or not," he said, shrugging. "Come on, we have to find a spot to set up the tent."

They dashed forward for a bit, finally coming to the edge of another oak forest.

"We can make camp in here," Isaac said, pointing. "The trees will hold off most of the rain."

As if on cue, the skies opened up and rain began pouring down in buckets.

"Great!" Isaac grumbled over the noise. "Come on, hurry!"

They ran into the woods, where the rainfall wasn't entirely stopped, although it was lessened enough for them to pitch a somewhat large tent with ample room for two sleeping bags as well as s middle area for the backpacks.

"Whoo, it's good to be out of that rain," Isaac said once he stepped inside and shook himself off.

"I agree," Ivan said, following him in, but then something peculiar caught his eye. "My word, Isaac," he said, "Your hair hasn't changed its form one bit!"

"I know, it's the damndest thing," Isaac replied, touching his hair. "I can never figure it out." He tossed his sleeping bag on the floor. "Well, set up wherever you want."

Obeying perfectly, Ivan placed his sleeping bag right next to Isaac's.

"So close?" Isaac asked, raising his eyebrows.

_'Not close enough!'_ Ivan wanted to say, but instead said, "Yeah. I mean well, like… we're not going to sleep _now_, are we? It's still not dusk."

"Well, sure, I guess," Isaac said uncertainly. "I mean, we don't really have anything to do… I didn't bring a book or anything, I didn't plan on a storm."

"We could talk," Ivan suggested. "I mean, come on, we never get to spend any time alone."

"All right then," Isaac replied with a smile before climbing into his sleeping bag. Ivan followed suit. "Let's talk."

_'Say it,'_ Ivan's mind whispered.

Ironically, there was silence, broken only by the drumming of the rain on the tent roof.

_'Say it!'_

"So who do you like in the village?" Isaac suddenly asked. "Anybody? You've never spoken much about that sort of thing."

_'Now! Say it now!'_

"Nobody, really," Ivan said quickly.

_'You pansy!'_

"I just need to find that special someone," Ivan continued. "I don't think I've found that person yet… though I hope to soon," he turned over to gaze at Isaac, who was lying on his back looking up at the ceiling. Ivan slowly placed his hand on top of Isaac's, and Isaac turned his head and looked into Ivan's eyes.

"I'm sure you'll find your match soon," he said reassuringly.

A longer silence followed, and finally Ivan asked, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Isaac said, shifting slightly. "I love listening to the rain at night, it's so calming."

"Me too," Ivan said. "I could spend hours doing it."

"Well then what's stopping us?"

"Nothing!"

"All right then!"

"You got it!"

This comical exchange ended with both of them laughing quietly, and they both closed their eyes and enjoyed the rhythmic droning of the rain on the canvas of the tent. The thing that is of note here is that this entire time, Ivan did not move his hand from its contact with Isaac's, nor did Isaac attempt to break contact.

"Isaac?" Ivan said after a long while.

"Yeah?"

"Did you… ever get the feeling that you wanted something really badly, and you felt that you could search everywhere for it, but in the end it could be right under your nose?"

"I guess so. I mean like, beforehand I would always dream of leaving Vale and having grand adventures and living in other lands, but then I realized that I would have been perfectly happy right at home. What about you?"

"Oh well… I mean, I've had that feeling on occasion," Ivan replied warily, and then lapsed into silence, hoping he could avoid appearing suspicious in his questioning.

A silence once again filled the tent, and Ivan contentedly listened to the rain alongside Isaac, until they both fell into slumber.

A blast of thunder shattered Ivan out of his sleep, sitting bolt upright. He never told anyone this, but thunder and lightning scared him to death. The rain beforehand was tolerable, but now the storm was worsening. He flinched as another lightning bolt pierced the sky, followed by another resounding thunderclap.

Ivan looked over at Isaac and marveled at how he could stay asleep through all this.

For several more moments there was no lightning, and so he thought he could try to sleep again, but then a bolt struck a tree in the very same oak forest they were in, and wailing in fright, Ivan crawled from his sleeping bag and nestled his head on Isaac's shoulder.

A calm immediately came over him; when he was this close to his angel, nothing could get to him, nothing could hurt him. He only hoped he was awake after the storm ended so he could move back to his sleeping back, or he'd have some explaining to do in the morning.


	4. The RelationRaft

**Chapter 4**

_The RelationRaft_

Sunlight and the sounds of birds singing gently lulled Ivan out of his sleep. It was a beautiful morning: the storm was over, and all was well. That is, until Ivan realized that he was still snuggled up against Isaac! He snapped his head up at once, in alarm.

"Good morning," Isaac said sleepily with a smile on his face.

"G-good morning," Ivan replied shakily, although he couldn't help but blush as he saw Isaac smile at him.

"What are you doing there?" Isaac asked pleasantly, ruffling Ivan's hair.

"Nothing," Ivan said, wondering what to do. Then he made up his mind: if it was going to be any time, it was _now._

"Well, you're obviously doing something," Isaac chuckled. "What's going on?"

"You're just comfy, is all," Ivan said bashfully, snuggling closer to Isaac.

"Oh so now I'm a pillow to you?"

"Yes," Ivan replied.

Isaac smiled and scratched his head. "You know, Ivan… it may just be me, but I think there's something you need to tell me. Am I wrong?"

Ivan gulped. "Well, yeah… But, you've probably already figured it out."

"Well, I have a hunch," Isaac said, rubbing Ivan's back a bit, "But I want to hear it from you."

_'This is it!'_ Ivan's mind declared with triumph. Ivan took a deep breath, and blurted it out all at once. "Isaac, I like you! I like you so much it's driving me insane! For so long I've been wanting to tell you, but I couldn't, I just couldn't with Mia and Jenna around and all the guys, and well… that's the reason I wanted to come with you. I just wanted to be alone with you, if just for a little while." He ran his hand over Isaac's cheek. "Please tell me you feel the same…."

Isaac smiled and ruffled Ivan's hair. "You are so cute," he said, but this caused Ivan to grab the older boy by his collar.

"Don't call this cute!" he snarled. "Everything I do you call it 'cute' because I'm younger than you are. Well this is real! This is what I feel deep down inside." He dropped his voice a bit before continuing, gazing right into Isaac's eyes. "I am madly in love with you," he said. "I will do absolutely anything to be with you. I have feelings for you that I've never had for anybody else in my life. You are my hero, my warrior, and my angel."

For several moments there was a heavy air of anticipation in the tent, and Isaac continued to look into Ivan's eyes, although his smile wasn't as broad as it used to be.

Finally, Isaac said, "Ivan, I…I'm touched that you feel that way about me. You're handsome, you're funny, you're a great guy, and… I like you too."

"You're serious?" Ivan asked quietly, not daring to let his emotion spill forth too soon.

"Yeah, yeah I am. But, I'm not so sure if…"

"If what?" Ivan cut in. "What could possibly stand in our way now?"

"I'm just not sure if we're ready to have a relationship."

"What?" Ivan gasped, it sounding almost like a yelp.

"There's just too much in the way… Like what I would tell everyone back home, what I would tell my parents…"

"So, we can't be together because of that?"

"I said, I don't know…"

Ivan propped himself up on Isaac's chest. "Well come on! I mean, it wouldn't have to be a relationship! It could be a relation-boat! Or even a relation-raft! Anything!" He buried his head in Isaac's shoulder. "I just want to be closer to you… you have no idea…"

"A relationraft," Isaac said with a chuckle. "Now see, _that's_ what I mean when I say you're cute. Look, let's worry about our mission for now, and get it out of the way. Then, we can think about what to do."

_'No… I just bared my soul to Isaac and he's going to shove me aside? I won't let that happen… he's MINE!'_ Ivan sprang forward and began to kiss Isaac. Everything he'd ever felt about this dream boy came surging back with a vengeance as he pressed his lips time and time again against Isaac's. But when Ivan began to rub his tongue against Isaac's outer lip, he got pushed back gently.

"Easy there, tiger," Isaac scolded softly, causing Ivan to pout. "Look, I promise you it will be something. Definitely not nothing."

"Will you give me your word?" Ivan said seriously.

"I swear it," Isaac said firmly.

Ivan smiled.


End file.
